


Project Futurist

by Crimiasymp



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Dark Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-07-27 10:20:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20044381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimiasymp/pseuds/Crimiasymp
Summary: A flame had been flickering within him, gnawing at his mind. Tony had believed it was a desire to aid, to protect, Steve in his fight against Helmut Zemo.But now, he knows what it truly is.Rage, absolute and simple a deep crimson like his armor.





	Project Futurist

A flame had been flickering within him, gnawing at his mind. Tony once believed it was a desire to aid, to protect Steve in his fight against Helmut Zemo. 

But now, he knows what that internal flame truly was.

Rage, absolute and simple; a deep crimson like his armor. 

Every blow of his father’s shield by Steve, into his chest plate, brings the flame's temperature higher, and higher still. Steve drenched the rage in gasoline, burning with it all his hopes, his dreams for the future of the Avengers. 

There is nothing; nothing now but rage. 

Steve raises the shield over Tony's head and there is a moment where he's certain that this is his end; the blazing look in Steve's eyes says he wants to deliver the shield down on Tony's throat and finish this off. He doesn't though; he thrusts the shield into the chest plate. A sickening crack is heard as Tony's arc reactor shatters, just like the rest of Tony's resolve. 

Tony supposes he should be grateful, should praise Steve for what he's done. Steve is shattering the rose-colored lenses that Tony's been wearing when it had come to the Avengers. Since his first interaction with Fury, Tony had been forcing himself into a mold that he'd never fill correctly. It was inconsistent with who he fundamentally was. The rage followed him into the frame, keeping him company when there was none to be found. 

Steve is leaving now, clasping Bucky tightly against his shoulder. 

"You know something, Howard would have been proud. You've just beaten me down better than he ever did. With a shield he made, no less." 

Tony hears the clang of metal hitting the ground; he can see out of the corner of his eye the shield now lying beside Barnes's discarded arm. 

It's a vicious finale, and Tony knows that. If he wasn't certain he'd puncture an organ he'd laugh bitter and true. But he doesn't care enough, not anymore. Tony wants to be cruel; he wants to cut to the bone, just as they had. 

The cold air is entering his mangled suit now, but it pales in comparison to the fire within him. He is Tony Fucking Stark and he will survive this encounter, knows with an awful sense of clarity, that he'll leave here with this burning madness. He'll take it with him and thrust it upon the world, upon his former 'teammates'. 

'He's my friend,' Tony can hear Rogers hollowed out words playing over and over in his ears. "So was I", his voice is a ragged thing now but he repeats the words anyway. 

"So was I, So was I, So was I." 

It's a mantra now. He repeats them over and over again. Betrayal, loss, sadness Tony desperately wants to feel something like that, but in the end, if anything he is nothing but a futurist and could see this outcome coming, saw it the moment he set foot in this retched place. 

Nothing but the rage sits with him. Hot and hungry Tony feeds off that energy, feeds off the warmth. It nurtures something dark and twisted in him. He has more than enough reasons to survive this, to make it home. 

First and foremost, Pepper, the things they said to each other can’t be the last thing he remembers of her. All he wants is their friendship back, another thing the Avengers ripped from him. 

Secondly, Rhodey, who will walk again. Tony would never die leaving his platypus that way. 

Peter, this scrappy 15-year-old, who can and will be better than him in every way. The darkness he feels is something he hopes to never dampen Peter's door. 

Finally, the Avengers, he will end them. 

Tony is a futurist he's planned for this for the moment when the Avengers may turn on him. He never assumed it would be in this manner so violent and episodic, but Tony will adapt will thrive from this. 

The world will never be ready for what Tony has planned, the Avengers will never see it coming. He will bring them both to their knees and they will pay homage to the altar of Tony Stark. They all saw the 'Merchant of Death', that's what they wanted him to be; so that is what he will become. He'll remake this world, whether it wants it or not.

**Author's Note:**

> Not really sure where this may go, but I wanted to put it out there


End file.
